As is well known, physical fitness has become an important aspects of people's lives. Health clubs are being built daily to keep up with the demand for membership, and home exercise equipment is being purchased as fast as it can be manufactured. As is also known, home exercise equipment is generally purchased by persons who: a) believe membership prices are to high; b) do not like the crowds or standing on line to use a piece of equipment; c) do not have time to go to a health club; d) do not live near a health club; or e) enjoy exercising in the comfort of their own home.
Many homes, however, do not have the space to dedicate for use as a physical fitness area. So, the excercise equipment industry has addressed this problem by manufacturing smaller, lighter exercise equipment that is advertised as being foldable, or which can roll, tuck under beds, stand in closets, or set off by itself as being decorative. As a result of the improvements made in the size and weight of these exercise equipments, the home-gym market has increased rapidly, exposing, though, a problem that previously went largely unaddressed--that is, that humans are creatures of habit.
More particularly, and as will be appreciated, each piece of exercise equipment available has a distinct manner of operating --with pulleys, levers, rubberbands, plates, springs, etc. --, resulting in each piece of equipment having its own individual feel. When a person first uses a new piece of equipment, then, the movement often feels unnatural and awkward. As usage continues and muscles are trained how to move, the home-gym action then becomes more natural feeling than with health-club equipment. Such fact was not so noticeable before home-gyms were commonplace, as most exercising previously was done at a health club, which generally had the same equipment from club-to-club. When a person becomes accustomed to his, or her, home-gym apparatus, on the. other hand, they generally are not able to go to a health-club and find the same equipment to exercise on, with the very possible result of their then skipping the exercise program altogether when they are unable to exercise at home.
One further problem with all of this, moreover, is the tremendous variety of types of exercise equipment that is being advertised for this home-gym use. In fact, it is almost impossible to switch through the dials of a television and not find one piece of home-gym equipment or other advertised by this or that celebrity, or by this or that television personality. With some of that equipment being touted as being "aerobic" in nature, and with others being claimed promotive of "muscle building", a novice viewer is very hard pressed to decide whether to purchase this one, or that one, or several of them, or none at all. But, as a closer viewing will show, just about none of the advertised equipments are of the type that one can carry about--as when going on vacation, or as when just going on a business trip. As will be appreciated, the most likely time when a home-exercise person will go to a health club is when that person is away from home on these pleasure or business trips--as otherwise, they would then be able to use whatever equipment they may own, or choose to buy, at their home.
Although some of these equipments have been dubiously claimed to be small enough and light enough to be considered portable, on closer inspection, they will be seen to be thus movable, only about the home. More specifically, they will be seen not to be so designed, or packable, or transportable enough to be taken from the home on a regular basis. This then leaves the traveler without a piece of exercise equipment that he, or she, can feel comfortable using. At the same time, if an executive at an office, or a businessman at a temporary location different from his regular office wishes a few minutes exercise to reduce stress or to otherwise take a break in an otherwise busy day, a duplicate set of home-gym equipment would be required. For most intents and purposes, obviously, this does not present a viable alternative. Clearly, some kind of home-gym type equipment would be desirable, which can be easily transported and carried about from place to place.